A warning has been issued from optometrists in Australia to let parents know that laser pointers are not toys. This announcement comes on the heels of a very serious problem that occurred with a 14-year-old boy.
Ben Armitage is an optometrist who was investigating a vision problem in a 14-year-old boy. The unfortunate part about this situation is the fact that the boy only pointed the laser pen at his eye for a very brief amount of time. Most people are unaware of the dangers, but it is time for them to realize that laser pointers are not toys.
“He came into see me and on the Friday night he’d got hold of a laser pen and unfortunately shined it in his eyes for a very brief period of time.”
As a result of the accident, the boy now has lost 75% of his vision.
“He’s actually managed to burn the retina at the back of the eye near an area called the macular.” – Armitage
The macula is an area of the eye that is responsible for much of our detailed mission. As a result, the effects of vision loss in this lad have been exaggerated. No pain was reported when the event occurred but he almost immediately began losing some of his vision.
It is hoped that when a reduction in swelling occurs, at least some of his vision will return.
One of the worst parts about the situation is the fact that the damage is irreversible and it cannot even be corrected with glasses.
To envision what has occurred, imagine that the macular part of your eye is like the sensor on a camera. Once the internal sensor has been damaged, it doesn’t matter what lens you put on the camera, it is never going to see clearly again. The eye is similar. Since the macular was damaged, using glasses is not going to make much of a difference.
The area of vision that was damaged in this young lad is the central vision. This is the part of our vision that allows us to focus straight ahead, and helps us to read, drive and to see details sharply. No form of glasses, surgery or anything else can restore the central vision once it is damaged in this way although some of the vision may return as the swelling decreases.
As a result of this accident, Optometry Tasmania has issued a warning to parents that they should not view laser pointers as toys. You can do the same by sharing this with friends and family on Facebook.